ohn Rocker, a Major League
Baseball official said yesterday, has
made the No. 7 train more famous
than Duke Ellington's A train.

Ellington took the A train to Harlem; Rocker says he is going to take
the No. 7 train to Shea Stadium. Major League Baseball, though no official said it publicly, does not want
Rocker, the Atlanta relief pitcher,
riding any subway to the Braves'
games with the Mets next week.
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani said the
city would try to prevail on him not
to take the train and on the Braves
not to let him take the train.

But one of the Braves' top executives said yesterday that it was
Rocker's business to get to Shea by
the transportation of his choice.

"I haven't discussed it, nor will I
discuss it" with Rocker, John
Schuerholz, the Braves' general
manager, said by telephone from Atlanta when asked about the closer's
stated intention. "It's a nonissue for
me. Guys travel to the ballpark however they like."

Darryl Hamilton, the Mets' center
fielder, who is on the disabled list,
said he did not think Rocker would
use the subway. "There are too
many security risks involved," Hamilton said. "On the baseball field,
you've got some type of protection. If
you're talking about riding the subway, you are on someone else's turf.
I still can't understand why the guy
is bringing more attention to himself
than is needed.

Get four games over
with, and get out of here."

It appeared Rocker might miss the
Braves' four-game visit to New York
when he was banished to the minor
leagues earlier this month, to work
on his control, the club said. But his
demotion came a day after he harangued the Sports Illustrated reporter who wrote the article quoting
him as disparaging large segments
of society, including some that ride
the No. 7 train in New York City.

The prevailing view was that
Rocker would not return to the
Braves in time for the series starting
next Thursday, if he would rejoin
them at all. But then another reliever, Rudy Seanez, was injured, and
Rocker returned.

His initial relief appearances show
that his control has not improved;
last night, he allowed five runs to the
Cubs in a 20-ball, 10-strike outing in
which he issued four walks and hit a
batter.

Rocker told USA Today Baseball
Weekly this week: "The first day I
get to New York, I'm getting on the 7
train. I'm taking it to Shea Stadium. I
won't be in a cab. I won't be on the
bus. I'll be on that train. And I'm
looking forward to it."

Not in a car, not on the bus, not in a
taxi with a driver named Gus. Security concerns have been high; if
Rocker follows through with his plan
to take the train to the game, baseball and city officials may be in a
state of consternation.

"Whatever Mr. Rocker chooses to
do, the N.Y.P.D. will be prepared and
will have adequate coverage," said
Marilyn Mode, a spokeswoman for
the Police Department.

Speaking yesterday at his daily
news conference, this one in Central
Park, Giuliani said: "We thought
when he went down to the minor
leagues that this was something we
could wait on. But now he is back. So
we have been preparing a plan, and
we will probably announce it tomorrow."

Later, in an interview on WFAN,
Giuliani said 450 to 500 police officers, including some in plainclothes,
would be at Shea for the games. He
suggested that officers will be on the
train, too, if Rocker is. For a regular
game, police officials said, the Shea
detail consists of 1 lieutenant, 4 sergeants and 40 police officers.

"We're going to have security
watching him to make sure nothing
happens to him," the mayor said,
adding that the city would treat the
pitcher the way it would a visiting
head of state "or someone from a
foreign country and there are threats
toward him."

The Braves, while not taking the
visit and potential problems lightly,
have tried to give the appearance
that everything is normal.

Asked yesterday about team security, Schuerholz said: "We're just
doing what we normally would do.
Whatever extra protection we take to
certain places, that's what we'll do."

Is New York one of those places?
"Yes, it is," he said. "But that's just
standard procedure for us, nothing
beyond our extra efforts."

The Braves play in Montreal just
before their trip to New York, and
Kevin Hallinan, baseball's executive
director for security, will meet with
them there to review plans.

Shea Stadium is expected to be
packed or nearly packed for the
games. The Mets said the advance
sale for three of the games is about
35,000. The Friday night game is
close to a sellout. That game will be
followed by fireworks. Baseball and
city officials hope those are the only
fireworks that explode during the
series.